It's all in the Planning
by Jennifer Cannon
Summary: With Amanda out of town, Lee finds himself having to organize things for a Halloween Party.


**It's all In the Planning **

** the usual disclaimers apply--thanks to Ermintrude for the challenge  
words and for providing the prize**

**4247 Maplewood Dr**

**Saturday, October 27****th**** 1996**

**7:30 AM**

"Amanda, I can't do this," Lee paced back and forth across the  
kitchen, the cordless resting against his shoulder. There's just no  
way."

"You can do this." Even over the phone Amanda's voice held a faint  
note of amusement. "It's really not that difficult."

"Not that difficult? We are talking about 35 second graders here—why  
couldn't Billy have postponed this training course until after?"

"Lee, they're not going to postpone a training course because I have a  
classroom party to organize," Amanda said. "I'll be back Monday  
night—you'll be just fine."

"That's what you think," Lee muttered. From the family room Lee could  
hear the faint sounds of the Scooby-Doo' theme. Peeking around the  
corner he could see Jenna in her nightgown, eating cereal as she sat  
cross-legged in front of the television, her eyes fastened to the screen.

"You can do this," Amanda repeated. "I've already made all of the  
cupcakes and they're in those two Ziploc containers on top of the  
fridge. The stuff to decorate them with is in the pantry and Jenna can  
help you with that. The cookie dough is in the fridge—all you have to  
do is slice them and bake them in the oven."

"Is that it?" Lee said.

"Not quite," Amanda said. "There are also the Place cards and you have  
to make the slime."

"The slime?" Lee's voice rose slightly. "Did you just say slime,  
Amanda? I have to make slime?"

"The recipe's on the fridge—I bought the ingredients last week,"  
Amanda said. "Jenna can help you with that too. Trust me, you'll have  
fun together."

"Fun," Lee muttered, running one hand through his hair. Fun would've  
been able to kick back and watch a Redskins game. But now—

"Speaking of Jenna, you're not letting her eat breakfast in the  
family room, are you?" Amanda said. "Last time she spilled orange  
juice all over the rug and it took forever to get it out."

"Family room?" Lee thought fast. "No of course not—she's eating  
breakfast in the kitchen just like she's supposed to be." As if on  
cue the sound of Jenna's laughter filled the house.

"Really," Amanda's tone was skeptical. "If she's in the kitchen what  
is she laughing at?"

"A really funny comic strip in the paper?"

"Lee!"

"Everything's fine," Lee said. "I've got it all under control, trust  
me. Have a good training class—I love you."

"Love you too, Mr. Stetson," Amanda said.

** SMK SMK SMK SMK**

**3:35 PM**

"There," Jenna said. "That's the last cupcake." She held it up for  
Lee's inspection. "Does it look okay?"

"Well," Lee began, "there's certainly—um—there's an awful lot of icing  
on them, munchkin."

"But kids like a lot of icing, Dad," Jenna said. "See? I put chocolate  
and orange icing and every one has a candy pumpkin on it. The last  
time I went to a Halloween party they didn't have pumpkins on every  
cupcake and I didn't think it was fair. I mean, everyone wants a  
pumpkin, right?"

Whatever else Jenna had inherited, Lee thought with a smile, she'd  
definitely inherited her mother's gift of gab. "Right," he said,  
ruffling her hair. "Everyone wants a pumpkin."

"I think we have all the place cards written now," Jenna said. "We can  
put bat stickers on them too—that'd be cool."

"Very cool," Lee agreed. From the family room he could hear the faint  
sounds of the Redskins game—he was very tempted to go in there and  
take a little peek at the score—see if they were still beating  
Indianapolis.

"The only thing left is to make the slime," Jenna said.

"Right," Lee said. "Ah—do we have everything we need?"

"We've got glue, borax, water, a bowl and a spoon," Jenna read aloud  
from the index card where Amanda had written the recipe. "Shouldn't  
we use food coloring?"

"What for?"

"Colored slime would look neat," Jenna said. "We could make it green  
or orange—maybe we could even make it black—that would be kind of  
spooky."

"Jenna we are not making black slime," Lee said. His daughter  
looked at him. "But I do see your point—do we have any food coloring?"

Jenna nodded. "It's in the cabinet by the oven-Mom keeps it for when  
we make play-doh."

"I'll get it," Lee said. He looked in the cabinet. Just like Jenna  
had said, there was a box of food coloring. Lee took it down and came  
back to the kitchen table. Jenna had already emptied the glue and the  
water into the bowl and she was stirring it.

"If we mixed yellow and blue together," Jenna said. "That would make  
gooey green slime—just like on Nickelodeon."

"Right," Lee said. "Blue and yellow, here we go." He squeezed a few  
drops of each into the bowl.

"Now we need to add more water and borax," Jenna read from the card.  
Lee looked at the pitcher of water and box of 20 Mule Team Borax.

"Here," he told her as he took the bowl. "Let me do that part, okay?"

"Okay," Jenna said. "But I get to mix it after, right?"

"Right," Lee said.

** SMK SMK SMK SMK**

**7:30 PM**

"Lee you can't blame yourself," Amanda said. "You didn't know what  
would happen."

"No I guess not," Lee sat on the couch, holding the cordless to his  
ear. "The food coloring was her idea—then she wanted to mix it and  
play with it—I didn't think about what might happen."

"It's hardly the worst thing," Amanda said. "The only shirt Jenna  
messed up was a play shirt—at least it wasn't a school shirt."

"Well the shirt wasn't the only thing, Amanda" Lee said. Jenna came  
into the family room in her long nightgown and robe, holding her  
Scarecrow doll, her blond hair still damp from her recent shower. Lee  
raised his eyebrows questioningly at her and Jenna shook her head,  
displaying her still bright-green hands and arms.

Amanda laughed. "Well that'll wash off in a few days," she said. "How  
did the Redskins do?"

"Pretty well—they beat Indianapolis 31 to 16."

"So the day wasn't a total loss then," Amanda said.

Jenna grabbed one of her books from the nearby shelf and walked over  
to Lee, who patted the space on the sofa next to him. His daughter  
snuggled next to him and he took the book.

"No, actually it was a very good day," Lee kissed the top of Jenna's  
head.

"I'm glad to hear it," Amanda said. "Give Jenna my love, okay?"

"I love you, Mom," Jenna called out as she flipped the pages to the  
part she wanted Lee to read.

"Love you too sweetheart," Amanda said. "Good night, Lee—I love you."

"I love you too, Mrs. Stetson." Lee hung up the phone.

"Okay, Munchkin," he said. "Where were we?"

"We stopped right here," Jenna pointed to the place with a green  
finger. Lee began to read:

"When the Scarecrow found his friends again he was so happy that he  
hugged them all, even the Lion and Toto—"

** The End**


End file.
